
If you’re searching for your new favourite book and/or author, look no further. We invited our friends from QBD Books to tell us which titles they are most looking forward to from May.
Burn
By Patrick Ness
Out now
Patrick Ness has a unique ability to weave children’s wonder and fantasy into what is a very human story. He’s done it before in A Monster Calls along with And the Ocean Was Our Sky. Now, Burn is set to be another winner.
Picture a farmer waiting at a petrol station to pick up a new horse to work the fields. Sounds normal. Then change the horse to a dragon. Now you have Burn.
– Katrina, QBD Books Indooroopilly, QLD
The Betrothed
By Kiera Cass
Out now
OK, I admit it. I have not read The Selection Series by Kiera Cass. However, the cover alone is enough to get me excited about her new book The Betrothed.
Set in an elaborate royal court with a King who has set his sights on a young lady who thought she knew what she wanted. After all, falling in love with the King is what all the daughters of the nobility want.
But just as all her dreams are about to be realised, Hollis meets an intriguing commoner – one who changes the way she sees everything.
I am hoping this will be my guilty pleasure read, full of royal angst and drama.
– Emily QBD Knox City, VIC
The Kingdom of Liars
By Nick Martell
Out now
When his father kills the king, Michael’s life is branded by suspicion and betrayal. He grows up embroiled in a life of crime, until the day comes where his memories can change the course of the kingdom, and uncover a fresh betrayal in the royal court. All the while, a shattered moon showers debris amongst the land, and something more powerful than the royal court is in play.
This promises to be a fun blend of magic, firearms, cons and courtly intrigue from a new name to watch in the world of high fantasy.
– Paige, QBD Books Hornsby, NSW
Persona 5 Vol. 2
By Hisato Murasaki
Out now
“What kind of mask do you wear?” Based on the hit video game, Persona 5, the manga adaptation by Hisato Murasaki tells the story of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, and their quest to reform and rebel against society by changing the hearts of corrupt adults.
Volume 2 begins the Kamoshida arc in earnest, as the Phantom Thieves resolve to change the heart of Kamoshida after deciding that he’s caused too much pain to go unchecked. Even though the series is just starting, it wastes no time in addressing very real issues with our society from the perspective of those most affected by them. The Persona entries have always been extensive, and the fifth is no exception, but it is definitely worth it and I can’t wait for the release of the rest of the series, as the best is still yet to come!
– Rory, QBD Books Miranda, NSW
Art of Junji Ito: Twisted Visions
By Junji Ito
Out now
For anyone who’s a fan of horror, thrillers, or absolutely stunning art, then Twisted Visions is a must. Junji Ito is the master of Japanese horror, writing such stories as Uzumaki, Enigma of Amigara Fault, and the manga adaptation of Frankenstein.
While the stories themselves are chilling and unsettling, the main terror of Ito’s works comes from his art. Detailed to the point of some kind of twisted beauty, having all these illustrations finally in one collection is a dream come true for fans of the genre. With interviews from Ito, as well as commentary, this collection is definitely something to look forward to!
– Rory, QBD Books Miranda, NSW
Girl, Serpent, Thorn
By Melissa Bashardoust
Out now
A girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch is forced to live in an exiled state. Locked up in her tower, Princess Soraya is willing to do anything to be normal, to be able to touch another without severe consequences. When her twin brother is attacked by a demon, Soraya realises that it may hold the answer to her freedom.
I am extremely excited for this book. It sounds incredibly interesting – an original Persian inspired fairy tale about a girl who is poisonous to touch. The description of the book gives me a Three Dark Crowns vs A Thousand Nights vibe.
– Ashley, QBD Books Mandurah, WA
The Mother Code
By Carole Stivers
Out now
When the human race is at risk of extinction, the government decides on a risky manoeuvre to rescue the future generation. Babies are placed inside machines to be born and then raised by their Mother robots, each unique with their own Mother Code. The protagonists of the story are Kai, and his robot mother, Rho-Z. She raises him like her own son, teaching him how to survive in a world transformed. But as the new humans grow, so do the mothers – in ways that no one foresaw…
Wow, I am so excited to read this! After reading the premise for Carole Stivers’ debut, I immediately thought of Horizon Zero Dawn (which is one of my favourite PS4 games ever) mixed with a little bit of The Terminator. I am a sucker for apocalypse books, so I can’t wait to get my hands on this!
– Ashley, QBD Books Mandurah, WA
Devolution
By Max Brooks
Release Date: Thursday, 14 May 2020
I don’t read a lot in the horror genre, but I’m digging the hype around this book. Quite distant from the subject matter of his most well-known work, Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre is described by the author as a fun, exciting tale of Sasquatch terror. The story is revealed through the journals of a woman from an isolated town. The people of Greenlop have already been cut off from civilisation by a volcanic eruption. And now, they are forced to fight for their lives again. This time, against the fabled Bigfoot!
Author Blake Crouch described Devolution as “one of the greatest horror novels I’ve ever read. The characters soar, the ideas sing, and it’s all going to scare the living daylights out of you.” In the course of planning his novels, Brooks has toured the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and lectured at West Point and the Naval War College. With more insight than most, he has been openly critical about the US Government’s slow response to COVID-19. I guess if the current state of the world doesn’t scare you enough, give Max Brooks a go!
– Jeremy, QBD Books Support Office, NSW
Dangerous Remedy
By Kat Dunn
Release Date: Monday, 18 May 2020
This book sounds like such a whirlwind of adventure! Some early readers have described it as “Stranger Things during the French Revolution” and honestly, I’m so intrigued to find out how that would play out.
Camille is the daughter of a revolutionary, working with a rag-tag team of outcasts to save those who are headed for the guillotine (pun intended). Most of their jobs are pretty straightforward, until they cross paths with a girl who seems to hold mysterious powers. Who is this girl? And what is it about her power that makes her so wanted by Revolutionaries and Royalists alike? When Camille discovers the truth, she will be forced to decide once and for all, where her loyalties truly lie.
The threat of the guillotine, mixed with the mysterious allure of magic is drawing me straight to this novel’s pages. I can’t wait to lose myself in this imaginative, perilous world!
– Alyssa, QBD Books Penrith, NSW
House of Dragons
By Jessica Cluess
Release Date: Tuesday, 19 May 2020
When the Emporer dies without an heir, the five royal houses of Etrusia line up their eldest children for the Call – a tournament which will ultimately point to the new successor of the Throne. But what happens when it goes wrong and throws the game into disarray?
A new fantasy with outcast’s competing for the Dragon Throne? Sign me up. This reminds me of Game of Thrones crossed with King of Ashes. The premise alone promises a great and interesting story, a succession crisis, a ploy gone wrong and, of course, complicated, diverse characters that have everything to lose. And let’s not forget: Dragons!
– Ashley, QBD Books Mandurah, WA
Camelot
By Giles Kristian
Release Date: Tuesday, 19 May 2020
There are very few stories that pique my interest in the way that the legend of Arthur does. Retellings of these great stories have been around, it seems, for as long as Arthur himself.
Books, movies, even the slightest reference in kids’ cartoons (I’m looking at you Mike The Knight) and I am hooked. It should come as no surprise then that one of my most anticipated books for this year is Camelot – Giles Kristian’s second instalment in his series, The Arthurian Tales.
I really don’t want to give away too much of this story, I mean if you know, you know.
I will say that Camelot follows Galahad, Lancelot’s son, as he attempts to keep the dream of Camelot alive.
– Emily, QBD Books Knox City, VIC
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
By Suzanne Collins
Release Date: Wednesday, 20 May 2020
It is hard to deny the popularity of The Hunger Games, one of the biggest Young Adult series ever written. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is here to give us even more insight into the districts of Panem.
Like most people who have read The Hunger Games, I have very little in the way of respect or fondness for President Snow. I do, however, have curiosity. For this book to be about Snow, it has to mean he was not always the way we saw him in the original books. Something had to happen to make him that way….What was it??
Of all characters to focus on, President Snow is a bold choice. I really hope this book lives up to my expectations, and gives me the story arc I am dying to read.
– Emily, QBD Books Knox City, VIC
The Friend Scheme
By Cale Dietrich
Release Date: Tuesday, 26 May 2020
The Friend Scheme by Cale Dietrich is going to be one of the best #ownvoices releases this year. Dietrich’s first novel, The Love Interest, captivated readers with his twist on the classic thriller. He is back with The Friend Scheme, giving us even more of what we wanted: a great queer thriller. What more do you need than the son of a mob boss falling in love with the son of a police commissioner?
Dietrich brings all the romance, tension, and thrill that has been dominating YA literature over the last few years. This Romeo-and-Juliet-esque story promises to keep you up all night, with the lure of action that we all love seeing (but don’t want to personally deal with).
I am so excited for this book to be released so I can once again disappear into another world by a queer author. This book is set to be perfect for fans of The Gravity of Us, Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, and One of Us is Lying.
– Dion, QBD Books Macarthur Square, NSW